


A Fairy's Tale

by puss_nd_boots



Category: the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Anal Sex, Frottage, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-17
Updated: 2013-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-23 18:19:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/929607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puss_nd_boots/pseuds/puss_nd_boots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, there was a fairy who was sent into the human world by his king to learn about leadership. But those lessons were to come in a very un-fairy-like fashion – by spearheading a rock band. Kai finds himself learning lessons he wouldn't in the fairy world - and a bit about love as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fairy's Tale

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on one of my very favorite Kai photoshoots, the one where he is some sort of elf- or fairy-like supernatural creature. I decided to go with fairy here, and I chose the blue skin tint out of the three he sports during the shoot (he also seems to have pink and green skin in other photos). Some elements of this story are also inspired by various episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, created by Lauren Faust and property of Hasbro. (Oh, and Aoi's pre-success career here is totally the product of my imagination, there's no evidence he ever actually did anything like that - other than the way he moves on stage and the entire damn Dim Scene live).

It wasn’t every day that a young fairy got summoned into the presence of King Oberon himself – not even when one was one of the king’s nieces or nephews. He had a big family, after all.

Kai was one of said nephews – great-nephew, technically - and he’d never been summoned before. Heck, he couldn’t remember seeing him face-to-face, solo, in all his 98 years of living. (Which was still young in fairy terms, since they tended to live to 600 or so).

He walked into the throne room almost timidly, genuflecting at the monarch’s feet and bowing his head. Long, navy blue hair swished around a face of a paler blue, with the butterfly marks common to his clan around his eyes.

“You wished to see me, Your Majesty?” he said, trying very hard to not have his tone convey “I’m not in trouble, am I?” It didn’t work.

“Kai, there’s no need for you to grovel on the floor like that,” the king said. “Come, sit with me.”

Kai lifted his head and looked up at the king – blue hair turned to white, face bearing the signs of aging, but still with a strong, regal bearing, still built as solidly as a tree trunk. He looked at once very kindly and very intimidating.

“You want me to sit . . . on the arm of the throne?” Kai said.

“No, no,” said the king. “Over here.” And he stood up, grabbing the boy’s arm and pulling him across the room, toward an elegant high-backed sofa on the other side of the room.

Kai followed, obediently, eyes straying to the window. There were other fairies walking around out there, some of them occasionally sprinkling a magic dust on the plants. That was their place in the world – to use magic to maintain the balance of nature, to try to hold the damage humans were doing to the earth in check.

If it wasn’t for the presence of fairies, in fact, humans probably would have wiped themselves out a long time ago.

The king settled down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him. Kai sat down, gingerly. Here it comes, he thought.

“Kai,” the king said, “the council had a meeting the other day. We talked, among other things, about the progress of our young people.”

Oh, boy. He really was in trouble. He waited for the next words to be, “And it seems that you spend all your time banging a set of drums instead of performing magic . . .” He swallowed hard, eyes darting away.

But instead, the king said, “The general consensus is that you have potential. Real potential.”

The younger fairy blinked in surprise, looking at his great-uncle. “I . . . I do?”

“Oh, yes,” King Oberon said. “In fact, we’d like to see you develop it more. But there has been one thing missing . . .”

Okay, the “here it comes” feeling was back again. Kai hoped it wasn’t obvious that he was gripping the arm of the sofa in fear.

“You need to learn more about leadership,” the king said. “Rather, you need to know what it truly means to be a leader.”

“Leadership?” Kai said. “But how am I going to learn that around here?” The fairy kingdom wasn’t exactly a seat of higher learning. Their people were educated in the basics of life – their own language plus several human tongues, the mechanics of magic, basic survival skills – and that was all they needed.

Unless, of course, they wanted to educate themselves in a special hobby or interest, as Kai had done.

“That’s just the thing,” the king said. “You’re going to go live amongst the humans for awhile, Kai.”

“Why?” he said. “How?”

“Oh, come now, you can’t try to tell me you’re not familiar with the human world. It’s well-known around here that you go out there all the time.”

“That’s to go to music venues,” Kai said, quietly. And, occasionally, hang around with human musicians.

“It’s still interaction with the human world,” the king said. “You can transform yourself into human form quite nicely. You’ve observed human customs in contemporary Japan. And you have musical talent.”

“You want me to go live among the humans and make my living as a musician?” Kai said. Well, damn. How did the king know that had been a fantasy of his for awhile – ever since the fateful day that, while wandering around the human world, he had snuck into a Luna Sea live?

“Yes,” said the king. “That is exactly what I am saying.”

Kai thought for a moment. Well, this was definitely not unprecedented. Some of his relatives had been sent out to live among the humans for awhile during their youth. A couple of them liked the experience so much that they had yet to come back to the kingdom.

The reason to live as a human was a simple one, of course – it forced one to live without magic, to seek solutions to problems with one’s mind instead of just chanting a spell. It was the fastest, most sure path to growth and development

“So . . . how is that going to teach me about leadership?” he said.

“Finding out the answer to that,” the king said, “is part of your journey.”

“And how will I know when I’ve fulfilled the journey?” said Kai.

“We will be watching you – the court and I,” the king said. “We will let you know, of course – but I think you will know in your heart before we tell you.”

So, no easy answers. He was going to have to find them out himself. But to do it while living among humans and working as a musician . . .

“All right,” he said. “I’ll do it. When do I leave?”

“When you feel ready to,” the king said. “Talk to your family and friends, let them know what you’re doing. And then, we’ll take you to your new home.”

“My new home,” Kai said, quietly.

So this was his life’s quest, then – to find out the true meaning of leadership. And he had a feeling her knew what honor awaited him when he found that out. Something he remembered his mother telling him about, when he was very small . . .

* * *

TOKYO, 2003

Kai wandered through the streets in one of the not-exactly-nice parts of Roppongi, paper bearing an address in hand. The place where Ruki had told him they were rehearsing was right around here.

He was a year into his “quest,” and it had, so far, born very few results. The first band he’d joined had fallen apart. He’d tried to exert leadership, to keep them together, but to no avail.

Fortunately, he happened to bump into a guy he’d met at a music club awhile ago, during his earliest days living as a human. And, as it turned out, that guy’s band was losing its drummer.

He was on his way to meet up with that band now. He just hoped it would have better results this time.

At least he was learning a lot about the human world - like, for instance, how to get around by subway, train and foot. He had a place to live – he was staying with a aunt he hadn’t seen in a long time, one of those fairies who elected to stay in the human world – but she lived a long way out of the city. (Humans usually assumed his aunt was his mother, and he didn’t correct them). Hence, he did an awful lot of said traveling.

He found the address on the paper – it seemed they were rehearsing in some sort of abandoned building – and knocked on the door. It was jerked open by a tall, thin man with multiple facial piercings – who promptly let out a yelp and closed the door again.

Kai was puzzled. What the heck? It wasn’t like he looked like he had while living among his own people. He had a normal Japanese skin tone. His ears were rounded, and he’d hidden the facial marks. Okay, so his hair was a bright red-orange, but that wouldn’t shock other visual kei musicians.

The door opened again, and the man with the piercings stuck his head out. “Oi!” he said. “You didn’t run off, did you?”

“I’m still here,” Kai said. “Um, are you a member of Ruki’s band?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I’m Aoi. Sorry about before, I opened the door to go out and didn’t know there was anyone on the other side.” He stepped aside. “Come on in.”

Kai stepped into a shabby room – cracks in the walls, paint peeling everywhere, the only light from a couple of naked bulbs. Either this place was abandoned, or it was something that got rented out dirt cheap because its owner didn’t give a crap about it.

“There’s the other guys,” Aoi said, pointing to a blond and a brown-haired boy – both very attractive, Kai noticed – who were sitting on the other side of the room, heads bent over their instruments. “This is Uruha, and that guy is Reita.”

“Hi, there,” Reita said, lifting a hand off his bass in a kind of salute. “So this is what the Ruki-cat dragged in, huh?”

“Um, yes, I’m the drummer,” Kai said. “Well, I hope to be your new drummer. Please treat me well.” He bowed politely.

“Huh, manners,” Reita said. “You don’t see that around here too often. Where did you come from?”

“Mareydi Creia,” Kai said. “At least, that was the name of my old band.”

“I remember seeing you,” Uruha said. “You were pretty good. Why did you break up?”

“Oh, you know,” Kai said. “The usual band stuff.” He didn’t want to think that it might be because of lack of leadership. Lack of HIS leadership. The very thing he’d come to the human world to learn about.

“Yeah, well, there’s no usual band stuff around here,” Reita said. “We’re all unusual. Especially Aoi.”

“Hey!” Aoi said. “I’m no more unusual than the rest of you!”

“You passed out in a garbage can the other night,” Uruha reminded him, calmly.

“Well, it was more comfortable than the ground!”

At that moment, the door opened, and a small figure entered the room – familiar to Kai. “Fuck,” he said. “I step out for five minutes and the new drummer arrives?”

“Don’t you just hate when that happens?” Aoi said.

“It’s okay,” Kai said, giving Ruki a bright smile. “I was getting to know everyone.”

“We didn’t scare him off yet,” Aoi said.

“You almost did,” Reita reminded him.

“That was him scaring me,” Aoi retorted.

“Well, if you’re not going to run away from us, why don't we see how you fit in?” Ruki said. “There’s drums over there . . .”

Kai looked. They were old, and as shabby as everything else. Heck, there was paint peeling off the sides of the kit. He sat down, hit one tentatively, and set about tuning.

No use. These were beyond hope. Where did they find them, in a trash heap? If only he could use magic . . .

He glanced up at the others. Aoi, Uruha and Reita were all engaged in tuning their instruments. Ruki was looking through what seemed to be a lyrics notebook.

Kai bent over the skins. He ran his hand over the snare, gently.

Then, he whispered two syllables in an ancient tongue. The air around the drums seemed to shimmer, then it was still again.

He hit the snare, then the toms. Perfect. They sounded brand-new.

Ruki looked up from his notebook. “Hey,” he said. “How’d you get them to sound like that? They never were that good when they were mine.”

Kai shrugged and said, innocently, “Just good at tuning, I guess.”

“Whatever,” Ruki said. “Okay, let’s run through a couple of Luna Sea songs to warm up . . .”

Kai picked up the sticks, ready to do the countdown to the first song. He was having a good feeling about these people already. Maybe, just maybe, he’d found the group he was meant to find, the one that would help him get his answers about leadership.

* * *

Kai was standing in front of the mirror in the men’s room, finishing his makeup. This was the closest you got to a dressing room in these tiny livehouses. A lot of musicians just got into their costumes and makeup at home, earning themselves some very strange looks on the subway.

Ruki poked his head in the door. “Almost done?” he said. “We’re on next.”

“What’s it look like out there?” Kai said, momentarily glancing over his shoulder at his bandmate.

“The usual,” Ruki said. “Maybe half of them look like they came to hear music instead of drink.”

“Half?” Kai said, turning his attention back to the mirror. “That’s better than last time.”

“You’re an optimist,” Ruki said.

“You have to be, right?” Kai replied, going back to his makeup.

This was their way of life now – playing bills of multiple artists in little, grungy places. It was okay. It was a start, right?

Except their manager seemed to be doing nothing to get them past this stage. He never seemed to be around when the band needed him, and he was making no real effort to go out and hustle up publicity or bookings for them.

So Kai had taken matters into his own hands. He designed flyers for the band’s lives on his computer, printed out a pile of copies, posted them all over Tokyo. He took one copy of one of their indie singles, discreetly created about 50 clones of it with magic, and mailed them to every music writer he could find.

Which meant, of course, that he had to work part-time jobs to pay for all that postage and paper. But it was worth it.

Kai walked out of the bathroom into the dinky backstage area, grabbing drumsticks from his shoulder bag. In a place like this, every drummer used the same kit. He’d only have a short time to put the toms and cymbals where he wanted them.

“Looking good tonight,” Aoi said to him as he joined him in the area that was considered the wings of the stage – barely big enough for a whole band to stand in.

“Thanks,” Kai said, blushing a little. “New eyeshadow.”

“Must have had a big payday,” Aoi said. “By the way, are you still staying at my place tonight?”

Since Kai had such a long trip back to his aunt’s home, he usually stayed with either Aoi or Ruki after lives. “Sure,” he said. “I have clothes for tomorrow in my bag.”

“And I have a bottle of whiskey,” Aoi said. “I had a payday, too.”

The club manager was on the stage, introducing them. They wandered out, getting into position, Kai making those adjustments to the drum kit . . .

None of them noticed that among the rowdy crowd, there was someone in business attire who was watching them rather closely. One of the CDs Kai had sent to music writers had been passed into very special hands.

* * *

“There’s somebody here to see you,” the club manager told them as they made their way backstage.

“Who is it?” Kai said.

“Dunno,” said the manager. “Said something about being from some management company. PPZ, something like that.”

“Never heard of them,” Ruki said. The band had learned to be wary of con artists pretending to be managers – they’d seen other people fall prey to that.

“Well, if you want to talk to the guy? He’s by the door,” the manager said. “Do or don’t, no skin off my nose.”

They looked at each other. “So, do we go?” Kai said.

“Can’t be any worse than what we’ve got,” Reita replied.

“I’m not falling for a bullshit artist,” Ruki said. “We’ve put too much into this band to have that happen.”

“Don’t worry,” said Kai. “That’s not going to happen.”

“You’re sure?” Ruki said.

“Oh, yes,” Kai said with a small smile. “I’m sure.”

Fairies had the ability to see insincerity in a person’s eyes, even when they were putting up a good front. If this guy was a con artist, Kai would know before he completed a single sentence.

The group walked into the main room. A few people waved at them and yelled that they were doing great, but nobody molested them or tried to get their autographs. They weren’t that big – yet.

They spotted the guy in the suit right away. He bowed to them, introduced himself and said, “Why don't we step outside, where we can talk easier?”

Fortunately, it was a rather warm night for the time of year. As soon as they got outside, Ruki and Aoi both pulled out their cigarettes and lit up right away.

Suit Guy got right to the point, saying, “I’m with PSC – we’re a division of Free-Will. We’re very interested in having you with your company.”

“Okay, I’ve heard of Free-Will,” Ruki said. “But not this PSC. Who do you handle?”

“Well, we’re still fairly new,” the man said. “But we have Miyavi, and two other bands, Kra and Kagrra. We think we can take you places. You have something – a look, a sound – that goes beyond typical visual kei.”

“And what’s it mean for us?” Reita said. “What do we have to do to get signed?”

“Well, there’s terms and conditions, of course,” said the PSC representative. “But really, all you have to do is give up your current management.”

Kai, meanwhile, was studying the man’s face. Yes, there was nothing but sincerity there. He was telling the truth. PSC was on the level, they were genuinely interested in them.

“Guys, listen to him,” he told the others.

“What?” said Ruki. “We’ve only been talking to him a minute, Kai. How do we know he’s . . .”

“Just trust me on this one. Please.” He looked around at the group. “We’ve worked so hard, and what do we have to show for it?”

“And if this guy’s not on the level? We won’t have anything,” Ruki said.

“Do we want to be playing places like this all out lives?” Kai said.

The group glanced back at the dingy hole-in-the-wall. Reita looked down and shuffled his feet. Uruha just kept looking through the doorway, as if it were some sort of magic glass in which he could see their future.

“Well, I sure as hell would like a real dressing room,” Aoi said.

“Just let me talk to this guy alone,” Kai said. “Just for a few minutes. If I see something, anything, I don’t like, then we’ll forget about it. But otherwise . . .” He glanced down at the ground. “I just think it’s worth the chance, that’s all.”

The PSC representative gave him a smile. “I was going to ask who your leader is,” he said, “but I think that’s obvious.”

Kai swallowed hard. He glanced around at the others. None of them were contradicting what the man was saying. “Me?” he said, quietly.

“Yes, you,” said the PSC man. “You’ve got true leader written all over you.”

Kai suddenly felt a dizzy rush inside him. Was this it? Had he learned the secret of being a true leader? Had he fulfilled his mission? Was King Oberon going to appear before him, and . . .

But by the end of the evening, all that had happened was a handshake deal tentatively binding the GazettE to PSC until the formal papers could be drawn up. That was eventful enough on its own.

And just like that, Kai was the official bandleader.

* * *

“So here’s to our new management, Leader-san,” Aoi said as they sat in his apartment later, glasses in their hands. “Kampaii!”

“Kampaii,” Kai echoed, clinking his glass against his bandmate’s. “I still can’t believe it.”

“You did well,” Aoi said, before taking a gulp of the whiskey. “Hell if I’d know how to negotiate with suits. I play the guitar and write songs, that’s it. I don’t get involved with the other end.” He gave Kai a sly smile. “I have guys like you for that.”

“You think I’m really leader material, Aoi?” Kai said, swirling the liquid a little before taking a sip. It burned his mouth and throat. Not exactly the fine quality nectar brews that were served in the fairy kingdom.

“Think? I know. Who’s been busting his pretty ass for us all along? You made us those posters, got us those writeups . . .”

That made Kai take another healthy gulp. Not the compliment to his publicity-seeking skills, the “pretty ass” part. His bandmate was very attractive. Hell, they all were, but being in close proximity to Aoi like this . . .

“I had to do whatever I could,” he said.

“You do a lot,” Aoi said. “Never seen anyone work harder for his band, in fact.”

“It’s important to me,” said Kai. “Well, I mean, the band is important to everyone, but . . .”

“Life and death to you?” Aoi said. “Yeah, I feel the same way.” He took another drink. “The whiskey is surprisingly good.”

“Surprisingly?” Kai said. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, I got it as a freebie, “ Aoi said. “Kind of a tip from my other job.”

“What is it you do, anyway?” Kai said. He’d always been curious about that, since Aoi seemed a bit better off financially than the rest of the band. He had his own place – small and sparsely furnished, yes, but it had its own private toilet and washroom – unlike the rooming house Ruki was living in.

“Does it matter?” Aoi said.

“Well, I’m curious,” Kai said, shifting his glass hand-to-hand.

“Okay,” Aoi said. “I work in a house.”

Kai was puzzled. “You’re a butler?”

“No, no. House. As in, house of ill repute.”

Kai choked on his whiskey. Aoi got up and sprang over to him, pounding on his back. “Hey! Are you all right?”

“Oh, sure, fine,” he gasped. Argh, he had reduced lung capacity in this human form, it was hard to get a good, deep breath after coughing.

“Yeah, I know, it’s kind of a surprise,” Aoi said. “That’s why I don’t talk about it much. I don’t really work upstairs, by the way. You know, where the bedrooms are. I work downstairs, in the lounge.”

“Bartender?” Okay, that was a little bit of a relief.

Aoi shook his head. “Dancer,” he said. “You know – exotic dancing.”

“You’re a stripper?” Kai said.

“Hey, I was trying to put it nicely,” Aoi said. “But yes. Plus, I give private dances in back rooms if the guys pay enough money.”

So it was an all-male establishment Aoi worked in. Probably catered to salarymen who married for the sake of social respectability, but were secretly gay.

The existence of such a thing baffled Kai, quite frankly. Fairy society was open and loose about sexuality. Everyone was openly bisexual, everyone took lovers as wanted and needed – even married couples usually had lovers on the side, with their spouse’s knowledge, consent and blessing.

Then, after a pause, Aoi said, “Want to see my act?”

“What?” Kai said, suddenly turning bright red. Okay, the society he came from might be open about sex, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get flustered when it was proposed to him.

“Come on, aren’t you at least a little interested?” Aoi ran his hand under his own shirt, pushing the fabric up, putting a bit of tantalizing belly on display. “You said you were curious.”

“But that was before I knew, um . . .”

“Curious is curious,” Aoi said. “And curiosity should be . . .” He made his away across the room, slowly, turning on a boom box. “Satisfied,” he said.

Thumping dance music filled the room, and the guitarist turned toward Kai, starting to move his hips in a graceful, but undeniably sensual fashion. Kai could only watch, dry-mouthed, as he started to unbutton his shirt, slowly.

Oh, he could see how Aoi could make money this way, all right. The man had charisma pouring off him in buckets to begin with, but when you added in the deliberate movements, making sure your eyes were drawn to his fingers as they pushed the buttons through the fabric one by one . . .

He was feeling a tightening in his belly, a pooling heat down below. Erections happened pretty much the same way whether he was in human or fairy form, and he knew damn well one was happening now.

Once he had the shirt unbuttoned, Aoi put his hands on the back of his head and danced closer to Kai – not removing the garment yet, just letting it fall open, revealing shifting amounts of flesh as he performed a bump-and-grind. Kai could see hints of a flat, well-muscled chest and stomach – just enough to arouse an overwhelming sense of want in him.

Aoi reached down and unfastened his pants next, pushing the zipper down a little, pulling it up, pushing it down a little further . . . and leaving them half-unfastened as he reached up and slipped the shirt off at last.

It tumbled downward, revealing so much taut, beautifully formed flesh that Kai found himself unfastening his own pants – because they had become damn uncomfortable.

“See something you like?” Aoi moved closer to Kai, fingertips reaching out, just barely stroking the fairy’s cheeks and neck. He felt a shiver pass through his whole body in response.

“I . . . see a lot,” said Kai in a tiny voice, knowing he was turning the color of a beet.

“I could give you a private dance, you know.” And those pants were coming down, down, revealing long legs , as beautifully formed as the rest of him, and . . .

Black briefs were covering what he really wanted to see. He imagined that when Aoi was actually on-duty, the briefs were replaced by a thong.

“I . . . I . . .” And before Kai could say a word, Aoi was turning around, settling in Kai’s lap.

Kai gulped. His erection was pressed against a rounded bottom – a bit bigger than one would expect given the slenderness of the man, but it suited him, and fit the rest of his body well.

Plus, it was firm, and shapely, and wonderfully delicious. Oh, and it was rubbing against him. Yes, he was continuing his bump-and-grind motions – just in direct contact with his audience.

“How do you like that?” Aoi said, his voice a sexy purr.

Kai could only respond with a sound somewhere between a moan and a gurgle. He’d had sex with humans before, of both genders, during his music-related sojourns to this world. Some of them were damn attractive. He’d just never been with someone who seemed to give off so much, well, heat.

And before he knew it, his hands were sliding around the other man’s body, running along that perfect torso, caressing the flat planes of chest and stomach. It was obvious Aoi did some sort of working out, or at least exercise. He felt so toned, strong – what one would call wiry, though that wasn’t usually a sexy concept.

“Mmmm,” Aoi murmured as the other man’s hands slid up his body, fingers finding and caressing his nipples. “Oh, yeah, you want me, don’t you?” He leaned his head back on Kai’s shoulder and murmured, “I’ve thought you were a sexy thing ever since you joined the band.”

“Aaahh . . .” Kai raised his hips, grinding against Aoi, fingers dancing over the nipples. “So good . . .”

“I’ve thought about what you look like under those hot costumes of yours,” Aoi whispered. “Is the rest of your body as sexy as those arms?”

“Want to see?” Kai whispered back.

Aoi slid off Kai’s lap, and Kai pulled off his shirt, dropping it on the floor. His unzipped pants and underwear followed, and . . .

He watched Aoi’s eyes widen. “Holy shit,” he said.

One aspect of Kai’s fairy physiology that carried over to his human form was that his cock was, well, a lot bigger than your average Japanese male organ. He always got that reaction from human lovers the first time. That didn’t mean he didn’t drop his eyes to the floor and smile bashfully, every time.

“Goddamn,” Aoi said. “You’ve been hiding that? You’re not going to be keeping it hidden any more. Not when I’m around.”

“I want to see yours, too,” Kai told Aoi, looking at the hardness in those black briefs. Oh, that wasn’t exactly small, either.

“You’re lucky,” Aoi said. “My patrons don’t get to see that much.” And he peeled down the briefs, revealing . . . oh, yes, it was just as big as Kai expected. And beautifully shaped, too. Just like the rest of him.

“That’s a shame,” Kai said, reaching up and gently stroking his fingers over the tip. “You’re gorgeous.”

“You’re going to force me to get my futon out if you keep that up,” Aoi said.

Kai just looked up at him with his sweetest smile – and moved his fingers faster, caressing the hardness.

“Aaaah, yes,” Aoi sighed. “You drive a hard bargain.”

He pulled himself away from Kai just long enough to go to the closet, pull out the futon and unroll it. The men tumbled to the bedding, their mouths coming together – our first kiss, Kai thought, opening his lips for his new lover’s tongue.

Their hands roamed, exploring bare flesh as their mouths discovered each other, trying to memorize every inch, looking for sensitive areas. Aoi found out quickly that caressing the back of Kai’s neck made him shiver.

“So damn gorgeous,” Aoi murmured, lowering his head to Kai’s chest, lips wrapping around a nipple. Kai felt the metal of the piercing scraping his skin as a hot, wet tongue worked the bud, sending hot pleasure pouring through his body.-

He writhed under the other man, breathing hard, grabbing his hair.

Oh, yes, he was oh, so goddamn happy that he’d come here, that he was in this place, in this apartment, on this futon . . .

And with this man who was licking up to his neck, sucking on his pulse line, pressing his body against Kai’s. Kai reacted automatically, raising his legs and parting them, so Aoi was lying right on top of him, their cocks brushing against each other.

Both men let out a moan at the hot sensation, the texture of hard on hard. They locked eyes for a moment, then their mouths came together in a kiss.

Their hips started to move, rubbing against each other, cock sliding on cock. He just feels so goddamn good, Kai thought, not like anyone else I’ve ever been with . . .

He closed his eyes and focused on the feel of the other man’s heat, the sweaty, musky scent, the sounds of both their moans . . . he was lost in pure sensation, pure sensuality.

When he looked up at his lover, he saw Aoi’s eyes half-closed, his lips pursed as he moved harder, faster, starting to grind hard against Kai.

And Kai moved against him as well, hands running down his lover’s back, finding that ass and grabbing . . . so gorgeous , lush but firm. He wanted to know what it would be like to be deep in that ass . . .

He knew he’d be finding out sooner rather than later. This wasn’t going to be their only experience together. They both knew it.

Aoi raised his head and shoulders off Kai’s body, moaning loudly, displaying a beautiful expanse of chest glistening with sweat, nipples standing out like bas relief in a perfect carving.

And Kai paid proper homage, hands moving up to those chest, fingers rubbing the hardened buds firmly, making Aoi let out another small cry.

“Fuck,” he moaned. “Oh, FUCK, Kai . .”

Their hips were churning now, cocks grinding together, their breathing heavy and rapid, noises louder, both of them knowing they were close . . .

And a long, slow thrust against him was what did it for Kai. He arched up against the other man, crying out, feeling his whole body pulse with pleasure . . . he felt Aoi grind against him hard a few more times, and then his cry answered Kai’s, hot come pouring onto his lower belly.

Aoi wrapped his arms around Kai, and they kissed, breathlessly, then kissed again. Kai pulled the other man’s head closer, snuggling against him and closing his eyes.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to move for a week,” Aoi murmured.

“A week?” Kai said.

“Well, at least until it’s time for round two,” Aoi said. “You’re damn hot, you know that? Not just because you’re gorgeous. You’re . . .” He kissed Kai. “You’re once in a lifetime.”

“I am?” Kai said.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve never known anyone like you. You seem innocent, and then you make me come so hard I think I’m going to turn inside out.” He ran his fingers over Kai’s hair. “Must come with being a leader.”

Kai closed his eyes. He was going to be a leader in the morning, all right. He was the one who was going to go into the PSC office and talk to the suits about the terms and conditions of their contract.

He was going to look out for his bandmates. He was going to make sure they had enough money coming in – through salary, royalties or a combination of both - that they’d be able to ditch their part-time jobs and focus on their music full-time.

That was what a leader did, right? Look out for those he led?

And, yes, he knew part of his motivation was getting Aoi out of that house of ill repute. Not that he thought something like that was shameful (though he still considered it baffling and a bit sad that humans had need of such places). No, just that such a thing wasn’t Aoi’s calling.

His ass-shaking was to be reserved for when he was on stage with a guitar. And, Kai had to admit, when he was alone with him.

* * *  
Kai was ready to skip into the conference room. It was common practice for the bandleader to meet with the group’s management team, then carry any news that came out of it into a meeting with the band.

What he had to share with them was very good news. Very good indeed. It seemed that everything they’d worked for in the two-years-plus since he’d joined was about to come to fruition.

“Hi, everyone!” he said, cheerfully, as he walked in – then looked around, blinking. He saw Ruki at one end of the table, looking at his phone, Aoi next to him, calmly smoking, Reita a couple of seats down, looking up from a trade publication . . .

“Where’s Uruha?” Kai said.

“Oh, you know,” Reita replied. “The usual. Caught up in composing. Out somewhere. Not looking at his watch . . .”

“I’m going to call him,” Kai said, putting his hand in his back pocket to come up with his phone – and finding nothing. He put his hand in his other back pocket, still nothing. No more luck with the front pockets, either.

“Problem?” Aoi said, with some amusement, seeing the look on Kai’s face.

“My phone,” he said. “It’s not here. I know I had it with me before . . .”

“Did you take it out when you went to the men’s room?” said Ruki.

“No, no, I had it with me the whole time!” Well, he couldn’t search his shirt pockets, could he? Because he had none.

“What about your head?” Reita said. “That still attached to your body?”

“I must have left it in the other conference room!” Kai raced down the hall, looking for the place where he’d met with the managers earlier.

It was one part of living as a human he couldn’t quite get adjusted to. In the fairy world, you didn’t have to carry your personal possessions with you – you could summon them with magic no matter where you were.

Here, you had to carry everything. Except Kai kept forgetting that when you put something down, you had to pick it up again when you left the room . . .

He opened the door and, sure enough, his phone was still on the table. He picked it up – and it rang immediately. “Hello?”

“Oh, good, you did find it,” Reita said. “Uruha just walked in. Come back to the meeting room – just don’t lose anything else on the way.”

“I’m coming,” he said, sheepishly, putting the device back in his pocket. He was used to his rhythm section partner’s teasing by now – it was a regular game for him, really. It was okay – Kai was secure in the fact that Reita was his friend.

When he walked back in, Uruha was sitting next to Reita, totally nonplussed about his lateness – probably because it was such a common thing. “Um, sorry about that,” Kai said, rubbing the back of his head. “The interruption, I mean. I have good news, though!”

“They’re giving us a regular booze allowance?” Aoi said.

“No, no, not that,” Kai said. He took a deep breath and looked around – he was about to announce they’d attained one of the major dreams of a visual kei band. “We’re going major. King Records is signing us.”

He smiled as he watched the gasps of surprise, as his bandmates all looked at each other. “No way!” Aoi said.

“Oh, yes,” Kai replied. “The guys from the label are due in here tomorrow with the paperwork. They want a single, and then an album.” He knew his bandmates had been working on songs like crazy as of late anyway – songs that represented a new musical direction for them, much more melodic and sophisticated than a lot of their work in the past – so they’d be ready to meet the challenge.

“Well, damn,” Ruki said. 

“And someone like you managed to negotiate that?” Reita said. “Who would have thought?”

Kai held up his hand to get the group’s attention. “But that’s not all,” he said. “They’re talking about a big tour to support the album. As in, more than 30 dates. And the latter part of the tour will be in the big livehouses. And for the tour finale . . .”

He took a deep breath. He was about to launch the biggest bombshell of them all.

“They’re talking about the possibility of Budokan.”

Well, that got a reaction. As in, all four of them leapt to their feet at once, like a baseball crowd watching a home run. “Budokan?” Ruki said.

“Yes,” Kai said. “It’s not a hundred percent done deal yet, mind you, but . . .

“Fucking BUDOKAN?” Ruki said. “As in, I-saw-Luna-Sea-perform-there Budokan?”

“You know of any other Budokan?” Reita said.

Uruha just stood there looking stunned, then broke into a wide grin. “I don’t believe it! I was just there not too long ago . . .”

And the next thing Kai knew, there was a tall human missile flying across the room at him. He stepped back just in time for Aoi to launch himself at him, the same way he’d done during their Maximum Royal Disorder tour final. He caught his bandmate, finding himself staggering around the room trying to hold onto him.

“It’s all because of this guy!” Aoi said. “We wouldn’t have made it this far if he wasn’t the leader!”

“Well, not all because of me,” he said, his voice a bit muffled from being pressed into the other man’s chest. “You’re the guys who are at the front of the stage.”

“Yeah, but you’re the brains,” Aoi said. “The REAL brains.”

Kai staggered forward with his burden, thinking he was going to dump him right on the table, and breaking a conference table wasn’t exactly going to sit well with their management. Not exactly a way to repay a company that had gotten you to Budokan.

He managed to set Aoi down on his feet, took a deep breath, turned to the others, and said, “Okay, can we talk about what we’re releasing as the next single, then?”

Later on, as they left the meeting, Aoi pulled Kai aside. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Caught up in the moment.”

“It’s okay, really,” Kai said. “No damage done.” No tables broken, and his arms were intact – well, mostly.

“I still can’t believe it,” Aoi said. “Going major is enough, but Budokan?” He shook his head. “Fuck. We’re going to actually have money for once.”

“I’ll be able to move to Tokyo,” Kai said, a wide smile crossing his face.

“Does that mean no more sleepovers?” Aoi said, wrapping an arm around the other man.

During Kai’s time in the band, the two of them had settled into a comfortable friends-with-benefits relationship. No permanent commitment, no “three little words,” just companionship and sex. Lots of sex. Lots of absolutely delicious sex.

He reached up and pressed his hand over Aoi’s. “You can start sleeping over my place, when I have one,” he said. 

“Good,” Aoi said. “I want to test out your bed.”

“I may have a futon,” Kai replied.

“Nah. Musicians who play Budokan have a full, American-style bed,” Aoi said. “Speaking of which . . . you’re staying over tonight, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Kai said. “I’ll be over in a bit, though. Need to talk to someone else – leader business.”

“Come over whenever you want,” Aoi said. “I’ll be waiting.”

Kai waited until the others, including Aoi, had left. He then left the office, headed for the subway.

He got on the train to Ueno, glancing around – no, nobody he knew was there. Good. He’d told Aoi a white lie – he didn’t have a meeting. There was, however, somewhere he needed to be.

He got off at the exit for the park, and walked into the entrance, past groups of giggling schoolgirls, housewives pushing baby carriages, elderly couples arm in arm out for a stroll. He kept walking, down one path after another, until he came to a rather out-of-the-way spot, a clump of trees sporting an abundance of green leaves.

Kai walked into the clump and lay down, his back right against the ground. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of nature – undisturbed by the urban environment around him.

He could feel the energy of the earth, the pulse of life in the trees, flowing into him, rejuvenating him. Fairies were, in many ways, the living personifications of nature, and it was from nature that they drew their strength.

Kai needed renewal in places like this the way humans needed air and water.

He closed his eyes and went into a deep state of relaxation, reflecting on the past couple of years, on his mission.

Leadership. He’d certainly demonstrated it. Since that first brief negotiation with PSC outside that dinky, dingy live house, he’d taken control of the band’s future, talking carefully with everyone – managers, record label people, tour promoters. He’d overseen their stage shows, made sure all the equipment was working correctly, that they were being presented well.

And oh, had he come across his share of mishaps when it came to equipment. There were many times he’d been tempted to use magic to fix something – but he never did, not since that very first night with the band when he’d tuned the drums.

He knew that using magic would be cheating, and would defeat the entire purpose of why fairies were sent into the human world when they needed to learn life lessons.

With all I’ve learned, he thought, shouldn’t I have completed my mission by now? I got the band to Budokan . . . maybe I’ll be told I fulfilled my mission when we actually play there?

Of course, he’d expected to be told he’d successfully attained his goal with every one of the group’s milestones. When they had their first oneman tour . . . when they put out an EP with a companion PV and making-of for every single song . . .when they released their first full-length album . . .

Kai’s fingers reached out and stroked the grass as if he were stroking the hair of a lover, feeling its energy mesh with his, creating little prickles of sensation.

Did he miss the fairy world? Well, sometimes. There were still mornings he woke up and expected to hear the songs of workers as they moved between the human world and their own, balancing the elements. There were times when he longed to use magic – and not just when equipment broke, or he lost things.

And there were special occasions of his people that he still wished he could be part of – like the preparing of earth for spring. It was one of the bigger events in the fairy world (it had a name in an ancient Fairy language that roughly translated into “Winter Wrap-Up”). Everyone cut the ice in ponds so it could be broken up easier, woke up the hibernating animals, turned the newly-thawed earth so it would be able to receive seeds easier.

Humans thought that the earth moved between seasons by itself, without help. They were wrong.

For the most part, though, he couldn’t be happier with his life now. He loved playing music. Loved, loved, loved it. The drums seemed to be his very heartbeat, and there was nothing like the sensation of knowing you had connected to the audience, that they and the band were one.

He adored his bandmates, too. They really had become like a family, onstage and off. Hell, he felt closer to them than he did anyone he’d ever known back home.

Ruki was his co-leader, taking care of the artistic side of things while Kai handled practical matters. Reita was his rhythm team partner, and Uruha frequently used him as a sounding board for his compositions (though Kai’s own attempts at songwriting never got accepted by the band).

And Aoi was . . .

Kai took a flower and twirled it between his fingers. Aoi was a dear friend. A spectacular bed partner. A comfort to him on the rare occasions when his resolve flagged – one such moment, where Aoi had tenderly cradled Kai’s head in his lap backstage after Kai fell off his drumstool, had ended up being captured by a photographer. (Fortunately, their fangirls dismissed the image as mere fanservice – though they squeed over it).

And he had to admit he was very glad that Aoi no longer had to work in that house of ill repute – hadn’t needed to since shortly after their PSC signing, in fact. Not that he was jealous of the men whose laps Aoi had wriggled in – the fairy concept of love didn’t include possessiveness and jealousy.

He was just glad he didn’t have to do anything anymore that interfered with his musical destiny. Kai only wanted the best for him.

Kai let the flower drop to the ground. He’d have to make decisions regarding Aoi down the line, he knew. He’d have to make decisions involving the entire band, in fact.

But now, he was going to focus on attaining his goal – and making sure the band did, in fact, get to Budokan.

He opened his eyes. The shadows were long, there was a chill in the air. It was time to leave the park. That was okay, he’d drawn enough energy from it.

And besides, Aoi was waiting for him.

* * *

Thirty-four dates was a hell of a long tour. It meant a lot of venues – some that were familiar to the band by now, some that were new. And at the very end of it all – like the Emerald City of Oz at the end of the Yellow Brick Road – awaited Budokan.

Kai knew there were going to be challenges. Different technical demands in each place, different live house crews, different audience moods. In one city, everything could run like clockwork. In the next, there would be guitars refusing to talk to the amps, plugs shorting out, and lights crashing to the stage during sound check (complete with a young technician, with over-bleached hair and eyes that seemed to be wandering in different directions, saying, “I just don’t know what went wrong!”)

Complicating all this was the fact that everything was taking place before the ever-present eyes of a camera crew, which was following them around making a documentary of the tour. That had been Kai’s idea. “We want to bring the fans close to us,” he said. “Make them feel like they know us. This tour is going to introduce us to a lot of people who never knew we existed before.”

His bandmates loved the idea, of course. Reita and Aoi, especially, hammed it up whenever they saw a camera in the vicinity. And Kai knew it would capture some not-so-flattering moments as well – like him losing things. They had at least three incidents like that in the can, and he was sure there would be more before the tour was over.

Now, fortunately, there were no cameras following him as he walked to the back of the latest live house, checking out the lighted sign that spelled out their brand-new logo from every part of the hall. Ruki’s design – the words “the GazettE” in old English script – really did make them look, well, major. International, even. He wondered if their music would reach overseas – he’d heard some bands, like Malice Mizer and X Japan, had managed to build followings in the West.

Ruki sidled up to him. “It looks good, doesn’t it?”

“It looks great,” Kai said. “I just wonder how it’s going to look on the stage at Budokan.”

“Fucking Budokan,” Ruki said, shaking his head. “I still can’t believe it.”

“How do you think you’ll feel,” Kai said, “when you walk into that arena?”

“I guess I’ll find out when it happens, right?” Ruki said. “Probably think of it as just another live, at first. That’s really the best way to do it, isn’t it? Think of it as just another live, and then you’ll be calm.”

“I really don’t know how I’m going to feel,” Kai said. “Hopefully, a sense of . . .” He took a deep breath. “Completion.”

Ruki look confused. “Completion?”

Oh, God, there was no way his bandmate could understand, was there? Kai hadn’t told any of them his secret. Hadn’t even given them a hint. It was best not to, really – not until he had to.

“Of what we set out to do,” Kai said. “From the beginning.”

“That’s not completion, though, is it?” Ruki said. “I mean, it’s the end of one phase of our career, but it’s the beginning of another. Now we get to find out what there is beyond Budokan.”

Beyond Bukokan . . . beyond completion . . . beyond the fulfillment of his mission . . . he hadn’t given any thought yet to what he’d do when King Oberon appeared, and told him he’d done it, he’d found out what a true leader was, and he was now entitled to . . .

Kai shook his head. Don’t think about that now. Focus on the band.

“Fulfillment, then,” he said. “Fulfillment of our mission.”

“Mission,” Ruki said. “I like that.”

Our mission, Kai thought. No longer just mine, ours. Because I need all of you to meet my goal, don’t I? You can’t be a leader until you have people to lead. Yes, our collective mission – the one, the leader, driving the many, but them supporting him at the same time.

And suddenly, a small chill ran through his body, and a curious vibration – as if a tiny bit of magic had been activated inside him. He blinked in surprise.

“Eh?” Ruki said. “What’s wrong?”

Kai grabbed one of the railings, taking a deep breath. He felt disoriented for a moment, as if he were not quite in this world. Maybe he wasn’t. Maybe . . . maybe he was being dragged back home . . .

His vision was a shower of sparkles, and he heard a voice booming in his head, speaking just three words: “One step closer.”

“Kai?” He could hear Ruki’s voice, feel his bandmate’s hand on his shoulder . . .

And then, as soon as it started, it was over. The feeling of disorientation, the sparkles, they all disappeared.

He blinked, swallowed, and looked at the other man. “I think I need to eat something,” he said. “I missed lunch.” Which was the truth – but it wasn’t what caused what just happened.

No, that was a genuine communication from King Oberon, the first he’d had since he was living in the human world.

“Losing track of time now, on top of losing track of everything else?” Ruki said. “Come on, there’s a takoyaki guy outside. I’ll buy you some. My treat.”

“You don’t have to,” Kai said.

“I want to,” Ruki said. “Besides, odds are you left your fucking wallet at the hotel again.”

“I haven’t done that in days!” Kai said.

“No, you just lost your hotel key,” Ruki replied.

Kai took a deep breath as they went out the side door and toward the takoyaki stand. One step closer, he repeated in his mind. One step closer.

He was excited, of course, because it meant he was, indeed, going to fulfill his mission. But at the same time, he felt a small undercurrent of dread.

The fulfillment of his mission was also going to mean the biggest decision of his life.

* * *

At least the hotels were of much better quality now than during previous tours. The rugs didn’t scratch your knees, the chairs had arms you could hold onto.

Which served Kai very well at the moment, as he was kneeling on the floor, gripping the arms of the easy chair – and wrapping his lips around Aoi’s cock, sliding down on it, feeling it move deeper and deeper into his mouth.

“Oh, baby,” Aoi moaned, hands stroking Kai’s hair. It was an endearment that only came out during moments of passion, and Kai always loved hearing it.

He sucked, pulling his head back, then thrusting downward again. This position allowed him to take Aoi deep, which he found almost as hot as the other man did. There was something rather erotic about the whole idea of being fucked in the mouth, in the throat.

His fingers slid up that perfect torso, finding a nipple, caressing it to the same rhythm of his sucking – and Aoi moaned louder, hands tugging lightly at Kai’s hair. “Oh, yes,” he gasped. “You’re so good . . .”

Kai rubbed his tongue over the head, feeling its texture, tasting precome – which was like nectar to him. This man seemed to be made for sex. 

And that sex was all his, at least for the moment.

He felt Aoi lift his hips. He moved down fast, taking in more, and more, moaning in his throat, and he heard his lover let out even louder sounds.

“Oh, baby, suck me, suck it all out of me, I’m getting close . . .”

Kai moved down as fast and hard as he could, practically deep-throating the other man, the hands tugging at his hair causing just a little bit of pain, just making it more exciting . . .

A flick of the tongue on the outstroke, and Aoi suddenly arched forward, crying out, flooding Kai’s mouth with hot fluid, which he swallowed – but made sure there was still some in his mouth when he moved up to kiss Aoi afterward. He wanted the other man to taste himself.

They kissed again, then Kai stood back up, smiling , then settling into the chair . . . and Aoi sank down to the floor on his knees, Switching places.

This was common for them. Round One was just basic pleasure. Later rounds were longer, more intense.

Aoi kissed Kai’s erection, lightly running his tongue over it, brushing his fingers top to bottom. “Look at this,” he murmured. “This is the most amazing cock I’ve ever seen.” He kissed the tip. “So goddamn beautiful . . .”

“Oh, yes,” Kai murmured. “Suck me, please . . .”

“In a moment,” Aoi said. “I want to take my time . . . enjoy it.” And then, there was a tongue slowly licking down the side of his shaft, then up, then around the tip . . .

Kai just lost himself in it, closing his eyes, leaning his head back, hands gripping the arms. Delicious . . . just delicious.

Aoi leaned over, took Kai in his mouth and slid down, and now Kai could only moan, feeling enveloped in the wet heat, the velvety softness. His hands wandered over Aoi’s hair, as Aoi had done to him.

The man was some sort of sexual artist, the way he flicked his tongue on the outstroke, sucked hard at the tip, then moved down, hard and fast . . . and Kai raised his hips, over and over, fucking Aoi’s iips, his tongue, his whole beautiful face . . .

Fingers lightly brushed over his balls, and that made his reserve break, his hips thrusting forward hard one last time as he emptied himself into Aoi. He melted from the chair, feeling boneless, and the two lovers ended up on the floor together, a tangle of arms and legs as they kissed.

When Kai nestled his head into Aoi’s shoulder, the guitarist said, “You know what? You smell nice.”

Well, that wasn’t what one usually expected to hear after lovemaking – but then again, Aoi could be extremely random. Kai raised his head. “What do you mean by that?” 

“Well, I just kinda noticed now. You smell – well, the way guys usually smell after sex, but . . . there’s sort of an underscent. Almost like I don’t know . . . like you have the forest itself in your veins. Like grass that’s just been mowed, and leaves.”

Well, damn. He’d hit that nail bang on the head. “I never noticed,” he said – but he knew he gave off that scent. He just didn’t know it was detectable to someone who wasn’t a fairy. None of his other human lovers had ever mentioned it.

“Funny thing is, your come tastes like that, too,” Aoi said. “Same thing, an undertaste . . . but it’s there.”

“Do you mind it?” Kai said. Well, that was brilliant – but this did catch him a little off-guard.

“Hell, no,” Aoi said, pulling Kai closer. “I love it. It’s one of the things that make you, well, you.” He kissed Kai. “And I’m going to taste that a lot more before the night’s over.”

“We’re just going to do oral?” Kai said.

“No,” Aoi said. “Not just that. There’s plenty I want to do. Over . . .” He kissed Kai’s temple. “And over . . .” He kissed his nose. “And over.” He brought his lips to Kai’s, and they kissed, sweet, tender and hot.

Round Two, it seemed, was underway. Thank God for big hotel beds.

* * *

Kai leaned against the wall, very glad he’d managed to get out to a park earlier – Osaka at least still had some pockets of greenery here and there. He had most definitely needed to absorb the energies of nature. He was going to need them.

Another technical crisis. The tour had been plagued with them, of course, but he had hoped once the band started performing in the bigger livehouses, with more proficient staff, that they wouldn’t happen anymore.

Twenty-nine lives in. So close to Budokan they could taste it. And then, the sound board had to malfunction. Again.

“Is it down?” he asked the staffer who was poking at levers and twisting knobs, hoping for a miracle.

“It’s down,” came the reply he didn’t want to hear.

He headed for the elevator, groaning, camera crew in tow. He could only imagine what the reaction of the band was going to be when they heard this. They’d put up with so much so far . . .

Mechanical breakdowns. People tripping and falling during performances. Indifferent audiences who didn’t even cheer enough to warrant an encore – always a tough decision for Kai to make.

“Man, I’m beat,” he said to everyone and no one in particular. He knew it was up to him to keep things calm, keep things moving . . . that was what a leader did, wasn’t it?

But all the leadership in the world wasn’t keeping these breakdowns from happening. And he feared the band was going to get discouraged.

We can’t, he thought. Not when we’ve come this far.

He heard a staff member saying, “Are you going to fix it now?”

“I guess I have no other choice,” Kai said as the elevator arrived at the upstairs artists’ suite, where he knew his bandmates were currently waiting to hear the results of the equipment testing.

“We’re just going to have to do it my way from here,” he thought aloud as he moved down the hall, camera crew in tow. “If I can change the way I usually do it . . .”

When he reached the green room, he bowed to the cameraman and said, “Please turn that off for a few minutes when I talk to my bandmates.” He knew what their reactions would be – and it wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted their fans seeing.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. Four heads swiveled toward him as one, their eyes open in anticipation.

I’ve been through this so many times, Kai thought. I’ve been the bearer of good news and of bad news. The trick is knowing how to present it.

“The sound board is being worked on,” he said.

The others looked at each other. “So, is it down or isn’t it?” Ruki said.

Well, the breaking it to them easy approach was gone now. Time to go for simple and direct. “It’s down,” he said.

Everyone groaned, and there were scattered “fucks” and phrases like “piece of shit.” And Kai’s heart fell.

It was times like this that he didn’t feel like much of a leader at all. They could work to be the best band in the world, he could negotiate brilliantly with higher-ups, but in the end, they were still at the mercy of machines.

“But it is being worked on!” Kai said, raising his hands. “It will be ready for the show! We need to have faith in these people, right?”

He was rewarded with a bunch of glum faces. Great, he thought. Now they’re not listening to me. They’re tired, they’re frustrated. Well, I am, too. What does a leader do in a situation like . . .

And then, suddenly, he had an epiphany. What a leader does in a situation where they are at the mercy of the machines . . . is making the band feel they could rise above the machines, right? And the way to do that is to make them feel comfortable. Make them feel happy.

A leader had to know when to be firm . . . and when to apply kindness.

“I’ll be back!” he said. There was a kitchen next to the green room, wasn’t there? He’d seen it when they first arrived at the live house. Surely, they had to have it stocked with basic staples, they’d have what he needed . . .

He nodded at the cameraman as he passed, as if to say, yes, you can start filming me again. He walked into the little room and headed right for the fridge. Yes, there were eggs there, and milk, and butter, and over there was bread . . .

He began cutting the bread into little squares. Cooking was a human activity he’d come to enjoy very much. It was really the closest thing their world had to magic, really, the transformation of raw ingredients into something wonderful through blending flavors and applying heat.

Doing this was as much about calming himself down as much as it was about making the others happy. And that was another part of being a leader, wasn’t it? Staying calm under pressure.

He broke the eggs into a dishl, added a little milk and began to mix them, saying to the camera, “I’m thinking of making French toast right now.”

Kai continued to cheerfully explain to the future viewers of the documentary that everyone was down, and he wanted to make them smile again, as he dipped the pieces of bread in the egg mixture one by one. “Think of this as my kindness,” he said. “And put a lot of butter in it!”

As he began to transfer the pieces of bread into the frying pan, he actually found himself getting excited at the idea of bringing the food in and seeing everyone cheer up. It was almost like the anticipation before going onstage, the feeling that he was going to connect with other people, spread happiness, make others feel good . . .

Well, in a way, in reaching out to his bandmates, he was reaching out to the audience, wasn’t he? If he could make his bandmates smile again, then they’d collectively make the audience smile. (Okay, there was the small matter of the broken sound board, but . . . that was going to be fixed, wasn’t it? They’d rise above it! He was going to think positive.)

By the time he brought the tray of French toast into the green room, he had a broad smile on his face again. “Look!” he said to the others as he walked through the door.

He was met with exclamations of happiness. “Oh, it’s good, it’s good!” Uruha said as he grabbed a piece.

“I wanted to see everyone’s happy faces, so I made this!” Kai said, cheerfully. 

“We’ve all had the same faces,” Uruha said – meaning unhappy. But they didn’t look unhappy now.

Kai watched with pride as his bandmates devoured the little squares of bread. They were chatting happily, laughing and joking again. They were, well, themselves.

Mission accomplished, Kai thought, and started to walk out of the room, back down the hall, wanting to go down the elevator and check on the sound board situation . . .

Except those words kept echoing in his head. Mission accomplished, mission accomplished, mission accomplished, like a voice yelling in an echo chamber. And there was a funny chill running through his body. And the walls were . . . shifting. Earthquake? No, an earthquake wouldn’t make the walls move like . . .

In that moment, everything went black for him. Fortunately, there was nobody else around, because if there were, they’d report that Kai simply vanished from sight.

* * *

_”Mother,” little Kai said as he and his mother flew through the air, him cradled in her arms, “why doesn’t everyone have wings like you do?”_

_They were on their way to a holiday festival on the grounds of the royal palace, flying close enough to the ground that he could see other fairies – both those who were flying, like they were, and the ones without wings, who walked or rode in little carts propelled by magic._

_“I have wings because I’m a princess,” his mother replied. “Only princes and princesses can fly.”_

_“Oh,” Kai said, looking down at the ground. “So why aren’t the people down there princes and princesses, too?”_

_“Only a few people get that honor,” his mother replied. “You have to be related to King Oberon, and then you have to be chosen by him. You know, have him pick you out because you’re special.”_

_“Am I going to be a prince someday?” the fairy child said, looking back at his mother’s wings – like those of a huge butterly, patterned in blues and silvers and gleaming in the sunlight as they flapped slowly._

_“Maybe,” his mother said. “If the king finds you worthy, you might. But even if he doesn’t?” Her arms tightened around him. “You’ll always be special to me.”_

* * *

Kai stirred, groaning. What happened? The last thing he remembered was leaving the green room, heading back toward the elevator . . . and then he felt funny and blacked out.

He raised his head, bracing his hands on the floor. It wasn’t the floor of the live house, that was for sure. It didn’t seem like a floor at all. It was . . . a solid field of stars?

Where was he? Human world? Fairy world? Both? Neither?

And then, he noticed his hand. It was blue. He held it in front of his face, then ran it over his head . . .yes, the pointed ears were back, and he could feel the faint outlines of the clan markings around his eyes. He was in his true form.

“Hello?” he called. He sat up – but he could see nothing around him but the same field of stars. It was like being encased in a bowl of night, and it was very frightening.

A voice boomed out at him, from everywhere and nowhere. “You have done well.” And then, the form of King Oberon was emerging from the stars, like someone surfacing from underwater.

Good Lord, Kai thought. This isn’t happening. I’m dreaming. But it felt too real to be a dream – as unreal as it was. He somehow managed to scramble into a kneeling position.

“I told you there’s no need to kneel to me.” The king was standing above him now, fully materialized. “Stand up.”

Kai complied. “Your majesty,” he said, “where am I?”

“Somewhere outside of time and space,” the king replied. “I’ve brought you here for a reason, Kai.”

Oh, hell – had he failed his mission? “And the reason is?”

“You should know,” the king said. “You just learned the biggest lesson of all, didn’t you?”

“I did?” Kai looked baffled. “All I did was make French toast.”

“Think about why you made it,” the king said, “and then think about your mission.”

“I made it so everyone would smile again,” Kai said. “Because they were upset over technical problems . . .”

He saw himself standing in that kitchen, mixing up those eggs, saying, “Think of this as my kindness.”

Kindness . . .

“Being a leader isn’t just about having a firm hand and making decisions,” he said. “It’s also about having a kind heart, and caring about the people under you.”

The king nodded. “Go on.”

“And . . .” Kai said. “And ultimately, a leader is someone with the wisdom to know when to be soft, when to be firm, and when to find the balance between the two.”

“Wonderful!” The king clapped his huge hands on Kai’s shoulders, nearly knocking him over. “I knew you would do it. I always had the highest expectations of you. You see, I have been monitoring your progress since you came to the human world . . .”

He waved his hand, and suddenly, it was as if Kai were surrounded by dozens of flat-panel monitors, each one displaying a different scene from GazettE’s career. His first meeting with them, the night they were discovered by PSC, their first oneman tour final, recording their first full-length album, the day Kai announced to them that they were going major . . .

And for some reason, the thought that ran through his head at that moment was, _Man, we’ve had some unfortunate hairstyles, haven’t we?_ Why not? It was just as surreal as everything else.

“You guided that group from one height to another and overcame obstacles every time,” the king said. “You’ve become what I always knew what you could be. And now, it’s time to fulfill your ultimate destiny . . .”

The king waved his hand, and Kai found himself being enveloped by a golden light. There was a curious feeling inside him, like he was on fire, burning up from the inside out, and the feeling of something about to burst, almost like the moment before orgasm . . .

And then, the light became a shower of sparks, and something did burst, shooting out of his back, unfolding behind him . . .

When the light faded, he was bearing a pair of huge, beautiful butterfly-like wings, seemingly made of blue and silver stained glass, gleaming in the starlight.

* * *

“Where’s Kai?” Aoi rushed into the main stage area, where Uruha and Reita were tuning their instruments. Ruki was over at the sound board, turning knobs.

“I don’t know,” Ruki said. “I thought he was with you.”

“No, no!” Aoi said. “Nobody seems to know where he is or where he went, and I can’t get him on his phone . . .

“He probably left it back at the hotel again,” Uruha said.

“No, he had it with him,” Reita said. “I saw it in his pocket when he was giving us the French toast.”

“Crap,” Aoi said. “I just came from upstairs, he’s not there, either.”

“Look, don’t panic yet,” Ruki said. “There’s a few more rooms downstairs, okay? We’ll look around in there.”

* * *

_Less than ten percent of fairies who carry royal blood are chosen to be princes and princesses. It’s the highest honor in the kingdom . . ._

Kai flexed his new wings. They fanned out gracefully behind him. They felt like they’d been a part of him all along.

“Congratulations, Prince Kai,” the king said. “You’ve earned your honor. You can return to the kingdom now, and take your spot at my council.”

_A spot at the royal council . . . my destiny . . . my destiny all along . . ._

He looked back over his shoulder at the wings, flexing them again. Other fairies would have to pay him respect now, wouldn’t he? They’d call him Your Highness. They’d have to bow to him on special occasions. He’d be able to hire his own household staff to work for him. It was what every fairy dreamed of. It . . .

And then, he caught a glimpse, in one of the reflective panels on his wing, of what was still on the screens around him. It was an image of the day he told his bandmates about Budokan. He saw the surprise and joy on their faces, Aoi leaping into his arms . . .

_My destiny . . ._

Being a fairy prince is what he had been working toward all along, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?

_My destiny . . ._

He came to the human world specifically to do this, didn’t he? But then . . . but then . .

_My destiny. . . is what I decide it is._

“Well, Kai?” the king said.

Kai looked at the monarch, slowly. He took a deep breath. 

And then, he said, “There’s one more lesson about leadership, Your Majesty. And I think this might be the most important one of all.”

The king looked surprised. “Oh? What is that?”

Kai gathered his arms around him and concentrated . . . he’d be able to do this, right? Yes, his magic was stronger, he could feel it.

He shot his memories out toward the screens. And suddenly, every one of them was showing a scene reflecting the friendships within the band. Here, they were running around in circles and clowning around on the set of a PV. There, he was bringing Aoi in a cake with lit candles, singing Happy Birthday. On another one, there were Ruki, Reita and Uruha, playfully pretending to beat him up, while Kai laughed the whole time.

“A leader is only as good as the people he is leading,” he said. “They bring their individual strengths to the whole, and it’s the leader’s job to decide how those are used. They wouldn’t be where they are without him – but he wouldn’t be where he was without them, either. They support each other, help each other. Need each other.”

He walked closer to the king, looked him in the eye, and said, “And a leader doesn’t abandon those under his charge. Not for anything. Even if he has to make sacrifices. Even . . . even if he has to turn down honors and titles.”

The king looked at him, as if in disbelief. “Kai . . . are you saying you’d turn down being a prince for these humans?”

“They’re not just humans,” Kai said. “They’re my friends. My bandmates. My companions. Back when I was living home, and I used to go back and forth into the human world for fun, I used to wonder why anyone would live there full-time. But now, I know that . . you form bonds. And, well, human lives aren’t as long as ours, so when we find people we bond with . . . we want to spend as much time with them as we can. And that’s why I’m staying.”

“You mean this?” the king said. “You really would put your bond with these . . . this band over . . .”

“Yes,” Kai said. “I have never meant anything more in my life.”

The king studied him for a moment, silently. Then, he said, “It seems, Kai, that you are even more of a leader than I thought you were. And your destiny lies along a slightly different path than I imagined.”

Kai wanted to let out a breath of relief. There was actually a moment when he’d wondered if he was going to be incinerated. Openly defying the king, turning down his offer of royalty, wasn’t exactly something commonly done.

Instead, he bowed. “Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty. And thank you for the offer of the title, and the wings, though I must decline . . .”

The king shook his head, raising his hand. “No, Kai. You’re keeping the title. You’ve earned it. The wings as well. You may show and use them proudly when you come back to our kingdom.”

“I . . . I can?” Kai looked surprised, then delighted. “Thank you!”

“You will come back, though?” the king said. “After you’ve completed what you have to do with those in your charge?”

“Yes,” Kai said. “And please, let me decide when that is. I feel that, well, I still have a lot to do. And a lot to learn.”

Then, Kai realized the king seemed to be looking over his shoulder, with a rather bemused look on his face.

“Kai,” King Oberon said, “is there one human in particular that you want to stay here for?”

Uh-oh. “N-no,” Kai said. “Why do you ask?”

“Because,” the king said, “there seems to be a distinct whiff of _hollyhock_ around you.”

“Ack!” Kai said. The king had said the word in the fairy language, but there was no mistaking its meaning. Had he read his mind, or . . .

He turned around, to see what the king had been looking at, and let out a louder “ACK.” There was a screen showing himself and Aoi making out, hotly. And, yes, the king had managed to divine what Aoi’s name was by looking at him. Kai quickly threw himself in front of the image, blushing bright red under his clan marks, covering the screen with his wings. 

The king laughed. “Come on, I will return you to your friends.”

“Don’t put me back in the place you took me from,” Kai said. “People will be walking around there. There’s a back room in the live house, kind of a warehouse . . .”

* * *

“Look, we haven’t tried this room yet,” Uruha said, pushing open a sliding door. The rest of the band followed him in.

“This?” Ruki said. “This looks like a storage area. Why would Kai be in here?”

“Well, it’s the only place where we haven’t looked, “ Uruha said. “We went over the rest of the live house twice.”

“Why don’t we just go back out and try calling him again?” Reita said.

“We’ve already called him four . . .” said Ruki, just as there was an enormous flash at the other side of the room. The band members all took a step back, shielding their faces with their hands.

“What the hell was that?” Aoi said. “Explosion?”

“Like gunpowder going off,” Ruki said. “I hope someone isn’t fucking trying to blow . . .”

And then, he caught sight of something. Or rather, someone. Two someones. One of whom looked familiar . . .

He blinked. “KAI?”

Kai blinked back. Oh, no, he thought. Oh, no, oh, no, oh no. . .

“Um, hi,” he said, rubbing the back of his still-blue-and-clan-marked head with his still-blue hand.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” Ruki said. “And what’s with the blue paint?”

“And the wings?” Aoi added. “You think you can play drums wearing these?”

“It’s, um . . . not paint,” Kai said in a tiny voice. “I wanted to tell you a different way than this, but . . .”

“Tell us what?” said Ruki. “That you’re an alien?”

“No, no, I’m not an alien. Um, that is, not the way you think of an alien.”

Reita, meanwhile, crept close to Kai and tentatively dragged a finger down his forearm. “Guys, he’s not kidding about this not being paint.”

The king suddenly intervened, gently pushing Kai away from his bandmate. “Gentlemen,” he said, “may I present my nephew, Prince Kai of the Seelie Court. Although you know him as just Kai.”

“PRINCE?” the others chorused, with Ruki adding, “What the fuck is a Seelie Court?”

“But I haven’t introduced myself. I am King Oberon of the people you commonly refer to as fairies.”

The band looked at each other, mouths open. Then, they turned their heads so they could look at who they didn’t look at before. Then, they looked back at Kai.

“Kai, what did you put in that French toast?” Aoi said.

“Oh, you must be Hollyhock,” the king said – saying the word in the fairy language again.

“Aoi,” Kai corrected. “And this is Ruki, Uruha and Reita.”

The four of them bowed, tentatively. Well, what the hell else was one to do when faced with a fairy king.? “We’re going to have Godzilla stomping the live house next,” Ruki muttered under his breath.

“My nephew came into the human world with a mission,” the king said. “He was to lean about leadership so he could claim his place as a prince and earn his wings – and he did so by leading your band.”

“But don’t think I did it just for that!” Kai said, raising his hands. “I mean, when I first came to the human world, that was my goal – just earning my princehood. But then, I joined the band, and I met all of you, and . . .”

“Back up a minute,” Reita said. “You’re saying you’re a FAIRY? Like, Tinkerbell?”

Kai looked down, dragging a toe on the floor. “Not like Tinkerbell,” he said. “My people were kind of embarrassed by that book.”

“We seem to have made our way into a lot of your human lore and legends,” the king said. “That’s because we’ve peacefully coexisted with you since the dawn of your race. We mean you no harm – and, in fact, we find you quite educational. We can learn a lot about solving problems from those with no magic – which is why we send our young people among you when they have to learn things.”

“And I learned a lot,” Kai said. “Not just about solving problems.”

There was a moment of silence, as all of them tried to process what the hell as going on here. Finally, Uruha said, “So . . . does this mean you’re leaving us? Going back to your, um . . .”

“Fairy kingdom?” Kai said. “No.” And, as if to emphasize his point, he concentrated . . .

There was another flash of light, and when it vanished, Prince Kai of the Seelie Court was gone. In his place stood Kai, leader of the GazettE – Japanese skin tone, rounded ears, no facial markings or wings.

“My place is here,” he said. “With you.” With a small smile, he said. “Did you think I’d go away just a few shows before Bukokan?”

There was a pause, and they all converged on him, pulling him into a group hug. Reita mussed his hair. “Prince? They’ll make anyone a prince these days.”

“You’re still going to have to explain to us what this Seelie thing is,” Ruki said.

And as they were having their reunion, the king pulled Aoi aside. “Tell me,” he said, “have you been able to smell the scent of nature coming from Kai?”

“Um . . . yes?” Aoi said, looking confused.

The king clapped him on the back. “Take care of him,” he said. “He’s very special to me. To all of us.”

Aoi blinked. Well, that was surreal. No more surreal than the rest of the last few minutes, though.

The king glanced back at his grand-nephew and friends one last time. Something his powers allowed him to see, which nobody else could, was threads of destiny which connected souls. He could see a red thread between Kai and the one called Hollyhock. Their hearts were joined – though they might not be fully aware of it yet. Knowing that Aoi could smell Kai’s fairy scent double-confirmed that – a human could only do that if he was a particular fairy’s soul mate.

But the king could also see a gold thread bonding all four human band members together – and to Kai. He knew that this particular group of human souls was meant to be together incarnation after incarnation – always seeking each other out, always finding each other, always helping each other to grow and develop.

And Kai’s role was to be the steward of these souls. He’d come back to the fairy world for sure, when his time with the band was through – but he’d come back to earth when these four souls incarnated again, because it was his destiny to always lead them.

The king thought Kai would be a leader among fairies. As it turned out, he was leader of a very specific group of humans – and in a way, that was just as important, if not more so.

He quietly vanished back to his own kingdom, leaving his grand-nephew with his bandmates.

* * *

Kai spent some time after that answering questions. Could he just shift back and forth between human and fairy forms whenever he wanted? (Well, yes, but it wasn’t something one would particularly want to do when in the human world. People tended to freak out a little at the sight of blue people walking around). 

Could he use magic when in human form? (A very limited amount – like the magic he used to tune the drums the very first day he was with the band).

Did he teach himself to play the drums with magic? (No, he studied them like anyone else).

If he was a fairy, why was he human-sized? (It was a myth that fairies were tiny – most just used invisibility magic to move about the human world in fairy form, although higher-end magic users could transform into butterflies. It was one of the king’s favorite ways to visit the human world, in fact).

And finally, they went back into the main showroom, to find the technician turning knobs on the soundboard and shaking his head.

“It’s the damnedest thing. It seems to have fixed itself. It’s better than new. It’s like, well . . . magic.”

Kai smiled to himself. His great-uncle had given the band a parting gift.

He was in good spirits as he headed toward the stage that night – the camera caught him throwing mock punches like a boxer. Why shouldn’t he be? He’d fulfilled his mission, _and_ he had Budokan to look forward to. And who knew what after that?

After the performance, in the dressing room, Aoi caught him from behind and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Hey, baby,” he said. “Got a few minutes to talk?”

“You know I do,” Kai said. “Should we go to the bar, or . . .”

“Nah, the room is fine,” Aoi said. “And yes, I do mean talk. At least at first.”

As they rode back to the hotel, it hit Kai that Aoi had just called him “baby” out of bed for the first time. He smiled, quietly. Another milestone.

When they got up to the room, Aoi reached for a bottle on the dressing table. “A fan sent me whiskey,” he said. He got out two glasses, poured a little in each and handed one to Kai.

“Just like the first night we spent together,” Kai said, holding his glass out toward Aoi. “Kampaii.”

“Kampaii,” Aoi repeated, and they clinked their glasses together, Kai choking a little on the liquid.

Three years in the human world hadn’t made that stuff taste any smoother.

“Aoi,” Kai said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. About who I really am, I mean. I shouldn’t have kept it from you.” He took another sip. “You must have been shocked.”

Aoi put his hand on Kai’s, squeezing. “Who you really are is our drummer and our leader. And one hell of a hot guy. That fairy stuff? Okay, I admit, it shocked the fuck out of me. And, yeah, you’d think that would be something you’d discuss early on in a relationship. Whether you have any diseases, if you’ve been with another guy before, whether you’re a legendary creature, that sort of thing. But, you know what? I’m not going to hold it against you.”

Kai looked surprised. “You’re not?”

“No,” Aoi said. “And you know why? Because, in a way, I always knew. Not that you were a fairy. But that you weren’t like anyone else I ever knew. I couldn’t stop thinking about you from the moment I . . .”

“Opened the door, saw me and ran off screaming?” Kai said.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you there!” Aoi said.

“I was afraid I’d accidentally slipped into fairy form then,” Kai said, “and that you were looking at a blue guy.”

“Yeah, then I really would have run away,” Aoi said. “Probably knocked the walls down. Wouldn’t have taken much effort. That place was a piece of shit.” 

Kai laughed. “We’ve come a long way since then, haven’t we?”

“We sure have,” Aoi said. “Worked our asses off, too.” He looked over at Kai. “Your human body really is human, isn’t it? There were nights I thought you were going to pass out on us after the live.”

Kai knew those nights well – stumbling down the stairs of the live house, sometimes having to be assisted by the staff, exhausted and dehydrated, sore all over . . . and finally collapsing, literally, on the floor, plunging his right arm into a bucket of ice.

And yet, he felt a sense of immense satisfaction, even as he cursed the limits of his human body.

“Yes,” Kai said. “I wanted to be as much like one of you as possible. If I helped myself along with magic, or special abilities, I wouldn't have felt I earned it. Any of it. My wings, our success, Budokan, or . . .” His hand tightened on his bandmate’s, and he suddenly had an urge to take another swallow of his drink.

“Or . . . us?” Aoi said, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Kai looked up at him, and smiled. Was Aoi looking to take their relationship the next step, beyond friends-with-benefits?

He’d have to discuss with him the way relationships were conducted where he came from, of course. Fairies didn’t believe in exclusive one-on-one partnerships for life. Oh, you could choose to stay absolutely loyal to your mate if you wanted, but the option was always there to take other lovers, with your partner’s knowledge and consent. Having a mutual friend, or another couple, over for a night of three- or four-way fun was definitely not uncommon.

He imagined Aoi wouldn’t exactly mind that. Especially the three-way part.

That talk would come later. For now, Kai gave Aoi his sweetest smile and said, “Yes. Or us.”

They leaned toward each other, and kissed, tenderly, sealing the step their relationship had taken. Kai leaned his head on Aoi’s shoulder, their arms wrapping around each other.

“Hey,” Aoi said. “You think that something would happen to me if we did it in your real form? I mean, I wouldn’t explode or turn into a frog or break out in purple spots, would I?”

Now, that was an interesting question. Kai had never slept with a human while in fairy form before. He didn’t think his seed would be harmful to him, though, and he wasn’t young and inexperienced enough to lose control of his powers.

“You’d be all right,” Kai said. “But . . . why do you want to?”

Aoi put his hand on top of Kai’s head. “Because, let’s face it – your real form is pretty damn hot.”

Kai blushed. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

Kai eased away from Aoi and began sliding out of his clothes. “I’m going to have to be on top, you know,” he said. “Because of, well, the wings.” He could make the wings appear and disappear at will, of course, but he imagined Aoi wanted them to be part of the visual.

“It’s okay,” Aoi said. “And I wouldn’t expect a prince to bottom, anyway.”

They looked at each other, then laughed, leaning their foreheads against each other.

Kai pulled back and finished the job of undressing. He watched Aoi remove his clothes as well, and go to sit on the bed.

He stood in his lover’s line of view, concentrated, and felt the change start to come over his body, the rush of magic into his veins . . . and then, the wings materializing.

And he stood there, naked and beautiful, his body still looking mostly human in shape, save for the coloring and makings – and the wings. He could feel Aoi’s gaze moving over him, taking him in little by little, and he reveled in it. He couldn’t remember feeling more beautiful.

On impulse, he raised his hands, concentrating . . . and the lights in the hotel room winked off. They were replaced by numerous little balls of light that suddenly sprung up around the room, illuminating everything with a soft, romantic glow, making it look like they were about to make love in a field of stars.

Aoi looked around him. “Holy shit,” he said.

“Do you like it?” Kai moved closer to him, wings fanning out gently behind him as he moved.

“I love it,” Aoi said. “Beats the hell out of candles. No waxy mess to clean up afterward.”

Kai leaned toward him, softly touching his lips to the other man’s. Aoi put his arms around Kai’s waist, under the wings, pulling him closer, and they let their lips part slowly, experiencing the feel, scent and taste of each other.

He felt his lover’s hands move upward, brushing the wings – and suddenly stopping. Kai leaned out of the kiss, bending over to kiss Aoi’s ear, and whispered, “It’s okay. You can touch them.”

“I can?” Aoi stroked his fingers over one, gently. “They’re . . .smooth. Almost like glass. Really thin glass. But warm.”

Kai, meanwhile, had his eyes closed, drinking in the new sensation. Since the wings were brand new, this was the first time they’d been touched. He didn’t know what to expect.

They weren’t overly sensitive – they couldn’t be. They were strong limbs, designed to lift and propel the fairy – even though they had the aid of magic. But the touch felt good, nonetheless – it wasn’t like being touched anywhere else on his body.

Aoi stroked up the side of the wing, callused fingers moving along the shining surface gently, delicately. He moved closer to Kai, Kai leaning back into the touch . . .

And then, his fingers brushed the point right where the wings joined the body, and Kai let out a little shudder. “There . . . that’s sensitive . . .”

“In a good way, or a bad way?” Aoi said.

“Good . . . so good . . .” The more he stroked, the better it felt. The little shivery sensations were beginning to feel erotic, the sensations running from his back to his nipples, his cock.

Kai leaned toward Aoi, kissing him with hunger, tongue roughly pushing into his mouth as the other man’s hands continued to caress the base of the wings. Oh, God, this was a side benefit of being a prince Kai hadn’t been told about.  
“Ohh,” he moaned, burying his face in Aoi’s shoulder. “So good . . .”

Aoi nuzzled a pointed ear. “What about these?” he murmured. “Are these sensitive, too?” He ran his tongue up the blue peak, and Kai let out a moan – yes, they were more sensitive than his human ears. Aoi picked up on that fast, and gently nibbled at it, running his tongue along it again.

“Fairies were built for pleasure,” Aoi whispered, fingers stroking Kai faster. Kai could only reciprocate by kissing Aoi’s neck, nibbling at the flesh gently.

And then, he got an idea. He leaned back from Aoi a little, pressing his hands together – and willing a small current of magic to build up between them. It was like a very low-level electric charge, just enough to create a pleasant tingling.

He brought the hands to Aoi’s chest and began to stroke downward, gently, the magical charge sending little jolts of stimulation into his skin. “Oooh!” Aoi cried. “What the . . .”

“Sssh,” Kai said. “Just enjoy it.” And he brought his hands to his lover’s nipples, increasing the charge a tiny bit as he started to rub.

“Oh, FUCK!” Aoi leaned back as a strange warm, pulsing, vibrating sensation caressed the buds, sending shocks of pleasure screaming through him, making his cock harden so much he thought it was going to fall off.

Kai smiled to himself as he brought his hands closer, increasing the tingling; then further away; then closer again, listening to his lover’s moans get louder with every touch. It was a sensation of power in every sense of the word – and it was hot.

He was sharing with his lover in a way nobody else could.

Kai trailed his hand down Aoi’s stomach, letting him feel the little current on the way, hearing the other man’s breathing get heavier with anticipation. Oh, he knew what was coming, all right.

And Kai gave it to him. He paused, fingers stroking his lower belly for a moment, building up the anticipation. He looked at Aoi’s face, the expectation in his eyes, the way his lover was trembling slightly.

Then, he ran his hand slowly up the other man’s shaft, increasing the current of magic the tiniest bit.

“AAAHH!” Aoi cried. “Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck, Kai!” And his lover just gave him a sweet, innocent smile as he wrapped his fingers around him and started to stroke, pulses of magic vibrating, buzzing and tingling, warming and stimulating the sensitive flesh like never before.

He rubbed his hand back and forth, watching the other man’s face and body as he fell back against the hotel coverlet, writhing on it, totally lost in a kind of pleasure not even a man as experienced as him had ever felt. It wasn’t like a toy, wasn’t like a normal touch . . .

It was heaven and hell at the same time, the sweetest possible agony.

Kai eased his hand away, not wanting Aoi to come too soon, and slid his fingers downward, toward Aoi’s entrance.

Aoi raised his head, panting. “Why did you stop?”

“Because I have another plan for you,” Kai said, teasingly, index finger pressing gently against the little opening.

Aoi frowned a little. “Didn’t you forget something, baby?” They were getting carried away in the moment, to be sure – but that didn’t mean that sex without lube would be a good idea.

But Kai gave him another smile, closed his eyes, concentrated and whispered an arcane word . . .

And suddenly, Aoi felt a strange warmth filling him, penetrating his entrance like . . . sunbeams? It was the only way he could explain it, being filled with warmth and light, a strange sensation to be sure, but also very, very pleasant. He found himself sucking in a deep breath, holding it . . .

Kai eased his finger away. “There,” he said. “You’re ready.”

Aoi raised his head. “What do you mean? You didn’t put your fingers in there, and . . .”

Kai put a finger back to Aoi’s entrance, touching it gently, and held it up for his lover to see. There was a little amount of a slick gel on there.

“Fairies can manifest plant matter,” he said. “One form that matter can make is a gel like this – a natural lube. And I opened you up and relaxed your inner muscles with magic, too.”

Oh, wow. As if Aoi didn’t feel like the luckiest man in the world before. Kai was a sex-prep machine. He felt the other man – no, he wasn’t a man, was he, he was whatever-they-were, though right now, Aoi felt he was a damn god – lie on top of him, bringing his lips to Aoi’s.

“Trust me,” Kai said, softly. “Just relax.”

And he pushed in, easier than any entrance Aoi had ever experienced. Good. Lord. He’d worked a miracle. A fucking miracle. Literally. There wasn’t the pain of initial entry, just the pure pleasure of being penetrated, and penetrated some more (because it was a damn big cock).

“Why didn’t we do it like this before?” Aoi moaned, raising his hips.

“I have to be in this form to do it,” Kai replied. “I hadn’t told you . . .”

“I wouldn’t care if you were in the form of a turtle,” Aoi moaned. “Oh, fuck, this feels amazing!”

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Kai pushed in further, waiting for a cue from Aoi that he’d taken all he could handle – but the cue wasn’t coming. Not until Kai brushed right up against the other man’s prostate.

“There,” Aoi cried. “Oh, yes . . .”

Kai began to move his hips – he knew where to aim now, but he wasn’t going to do it with every thrust. He wanted to make it last for both of them. And oh, was he loving the sight of the other man laid out under him, skin flushed, body covered in sweat . . .

Kai activated the magic in his hand again, and gently ran it along his lover’s belly, letting Aoi feel the tingles, moving up to his nipple . . . he felt the other man arch up against him and cry out as the jolt of pleasure hit, and the sight made Kai moan as much as the clench of his lover’s shaft around his cock.

He began to thrust fast and hard now, filling his lover, his wings moving slowly up and down, fanning the air about them, cooling heated skin. The woodland scent that had filled the air before, subtly, when they made love, was back, but now much stronger, as if nature itself had invaded their bedroom.

Aoi let out groans every time his hips snapped upward, taking in more and more of Kai, being totally possessed and taken in a way he didn’t normally allow, but the surrender was worth it.

He was going mad from pleasure in every possible way, every sense overloaded – the feel of a huge cock stroking him from the inside, the sight of the soft magic lights casting shadows on Kai’s blue skin, the feel of the breeze from those magnificent wings . . .

Aoi’s fingers reached up and stroked the base of those wings again, drawing a moan from Kai, the sensation almost as strong now as having his nipples caressed.

“Don’t stop,” he moaned. “Please . . .” He thrust hard in response, hitting Aoi’s prostate, making his lover arch up toward him again, the two men’s cries of pleasure harmonizing as they moved together, again and again and again . . .

And then, a hard, direct hit made Aoi lift his hips all the way off the bed, crying out hoarsely as he came in long, hard, intense waves, feeling like he might explode from it all, not caring.

Kai thrust a few more times, and felt his own pleasure start to peak – and pulled out of Aoi’s body, some tiny shred of his brain that still remained logical realizing it might not be best to come inside him. He cried his lover’s name out as his body shuddered, come pouring onto Aoi’s belly in long lines . . .

Yes, it was blue when he was in that form. It could have been rainbow sparkles for all either of them cared.

Kai collapsed atop Aoi, panting, his wings folded and limp against his body. He managed to murmur two spells – one to clean them up, one to re-tighten the muscles within his lover he’d loosened for their lovemaking. Finally, he made the wings vanish, so he could nestle next to Aoi in bed.

They stayed snuggled together for a long time, breathing in the mixture of sexual scents and the forest smell, feeling each other’s warmth.

Then, Aoi said, “Hey. Is there something I have to do to, you know, make it official?”

Kai turned his head toward him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, us being together. Is there some kind of initiation ritual I have to do? Get the approval of your king and queen?”

“You already have the king’s approval, remember?” Kai said. “He told you to take care of me. No, there’s nothing you have to do. My people are very liberal about love.”

“They don’t care if fairies date humans?” Aoi said.

“Not at all,” Kai replied. “The only time that’s an issue is if a fairy and a human were going to reproduce together, and I don’t think that’s going to happen with us. We can date who we want, marry who we want – though our marriage concept is very loose.”

“What do you mean?” Aoi said.

“Fairies believe you love who you want, when you want, for as long as you want, and then when both parties agree it’s over? They just walk away, peacefully. Also, we believe in open relationships. You can love someone, but have lovers on the side – well, if your partner agrees. Nobody gives anyone a hard time over whether they love men or women, either.”

Aoi let out a low whistle. “Where do I sign up?”

Kai looked confused. “For what?”

“For this fairy thing. I want in on it.”

Kai laughed. “You can’t sign up! You have to be born to it! It’s like being Japanese.”

“Can I be an honorary fairy, then? Since I’m dating you?”

Kai snuggled closer. “You already are.”

“Good.” He tipped Kai’s chin up for a kiss. “Because I really do want in on all that. But later. Right now, I just want you.”

“Same here,” Kai said. “I just want you, I mean.”

He figured Aoi would be open to the idea of the fairy concept of love. Maybe down the line, they’d each take other lovers, bring their friends into bed for threesomes (or foursomes, or moresomes). But for now, they had each other, and that was definitely enough.

* * *

Kai was the first one to enter the arena of Budokan, as was fitting for the leader.

They had decided that rather than walk straight out onstage, like they normally do, they were going to enter through the audience, sharing their moment of triumph with those who had put them there.

He heard their stage entrance, and then, he walked into that sea of waving arms, the fangirls parting before him like the Red Sea parting for Moses. At the end of that walk was the stage, the goal they had been working toward all along.

They’d come a long, long way from that tiny, dingy live house.

He could sense the others behind him – Uruha, then Reita, then Aoi, finally Ruki. They were there because of him, he was here because of them. And in that moment, he felt as if all five of them had big, beautiful wings unfolding behind them.

They’d reached their collective destiny. (Or at least their first one. Now that they were walking into Budokan, a new resolve was growing inside Kai: to make sure he led the group all the way to Tokyo Dome).

When he was almost to the stage, he suddenly became aware of something flittering above his head – something that wouldn’t catch the notice of the crowd in this moment of moments, but definitely caught his attention.

A metallic blue butterfly just kind of hung there in the air, wings beating slowly. Kai smiled to himself.

King Oberon had decided to check out his show.


End file.
